Energy company Constellation has completed a 16.1 MW DC grid-connected photovoltaic solar installation in Emmitsburg, Md., as part of the state of Maryland’s Generating Clean Horizons initiative. Constellation financed, owns and operates the approximately $50 million solar facility on behalf of its customer, the state of Maryland. Electricity generated by the system will be purchased by the state’s Department of General Services and the University System of Maryland under 20-year solar power purchase agreements with Constellation.
TerraVerde Renewable Partners, an independent energy advisor that aims to help schools, public agencies and private companies reduce energy costs, has announced that three of its large Central Valley, Calif., school district clients, Fowler Unified School District, Firebaugh-Las Deltas USD, and Golden Valley USD, have completed solar projects across 16 of their campuses. The new solar energy sites are projected to save the school districts more than $32 million in electricity costs over the next 25 years.
Energy generated by solar plants in India will cost the same as that from traditional sources such as coal by 2017, an Indian energy ministry chief has said, reports IANS. Tarun Kapoor from the country’s new and renewable energy ministry told an Indian power industry conference that “solar power is very close to achieving grid parity. It will achieve grid parity by end of the 12th Plan in 2017,” the news service reported.
Following last week’s announcement that it was to cut an additional 1,400 jobs on top of the 2,335 cuts previously announced, Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas has confirmed that it is in talks with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries over a possible “strategic cooperation.” “If the dialogue results in an agreement, Vestas will make a company announcement on the issue immediately thereafter,” the company said.
IKEA has plugged in the solar panels installed at its Twin Cities store in Bloomington, Minnesota – the state’s largest such photovoltaic array. The 142,000-square-foot photovoltaic array (pictured) consists of a 1,014 kW system, built with 4,316 panels. IKEA Bloomington’s program will produce about 1,161,328 kWh of electricity annually reducing 801 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.